Whale of a time! Moment three-year-old baby hippo Fiona jumps up and down out of the water in her Cincinnati Zoo enclosure
- Hilarious footage shot on a mobile phone shows the hippo breaching the water
- Fiona was born six weeks prematurely at Cincinnati zoo, Ohio, in 2017
- Mother Bibi can be seen watching daughter Fiona from the bottom of the tank
This is the moment three-year-old baby hippo Fiona breaches the water like a whale nine times as mother Bibi watches from the bottom of the pool.
The hilarious footage, shot on a mobile phone, shows the youngster breaking the water’s surface as she swims across before jumping out and running around the side for another go.
It was filmed at Cincinnati zoo, Ohio, and shared on its twitter account. The zoo has two hippos.
This is the hilarious moment a hippo breaches water like a whale at Cincinnati zoo in Ohio
Fiona dived through the water while her mother Bibi watched from the bottom of the tank
The clip begins with Fiona swimming up and down through the water and blowing bubbles. When she hits the wall, she jumps out and runs around the side before leaping back in.
Mother Bibi, appearing to tire of this game, attempts to stop Fiona getting back in with her jaws. She also tries to stop her jumping around under the water, but with little success.
It was shared with the caption: ‘It makes more sense that a whale is the hippo’s closest living relative after watching this!’
Fiona was born six weeks early and weighed only 29 pounds, about 25 pounds lighter than the lowest-recorded birth weight for hippos, leaving keepers worried that she may not survive.
Thousands bought #TeamFiona T-shirts and ate Fiona-themed treats as the zoo raised money to help save the youngster.
Video was uploaded to Twitter last week with the caption: ‘It makes more sense that a whale is the hippo’s closest living relative after watching this!’
Fiona pictured on her third birthday last month. Keepers were worried she wouldn’t survive
When Fiona was born she was six weeks early and weighed just 29 pounds, 25 pounds lighter than the smallest baby hippo known to have survived after birth
Hippo adults can weigh up to 7,000lbs: Facts on large African mammals
Hippo pictured visiting a petrol station in South Africa last month
Length: Up to 10.5 to 11.5 feet
Weight: Males up to 7,000 lbs, and females up to 3,360 lbs
Lifespan: 33 years
Habitat: Grassland, lakes and rivers
Diet: Mostly grass
Risk status: Vulnerable, according to the IUCN
Celebrating her birthday last month, keeper Christina Gorsuch said: ‘That day three years ago is both a blur and a memory that’s etched into my mind.
‘I’ll never forget walking into the hippo barn and seeing this tiny, slimy, thing on the ground next to Bibi. We were shocked that it was alive and spent the next several months focused on keeping it that way!’
She was brought outside on her birthday and required to strike a pose.
Hippos and whales share a common terrestrial ancestor from around 40million years ago, although it had previously been thought they were more related to horses or pigs.
One study from the University of California, Berkeley, analysed hippo, whale and possible ancestor anthracothere fossils to build a chart of common characteristics that revealed their close relationship.
And in 2017 scientists unearthed 28-million-year-old molars which they said provided direct proof of a link between the two animals.
The video was filmed on Wednesday February 26.